Wednesday 16 / September / 2026
Gaza: Eleven Palestinians were killed and 14 others injured, while dozens remain trapped under the rubble, following the collapse of a residential building in the Al-Sina’a area, southwest of Gaza City.
The building had previously sustained damage from Israeli forces' shelling during the war.
Rescue teams in Gaza reported that the six-storey residential building collapsed onto its residents and onto tents housing displaced persons set up nearby. They said crews have been working since early Wednesday to reach those trapped under the roubble amid a severe shortage of equipment and heavy machinery.
According to local residents, more than 60 people, mostly displaced persons, were staying in the building, which had suffered structural damage and cracks due to Israeli shelling.
The total number of fatalities since the ceasefire took effect on October 11 has risen to 1,375, with 4,686 injured and 831 bodies recovered from the rubble.
The overall toll of the genocidal war waged by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, has risen to 73,789, with 174,798 Palestinians injured.
Government calls for immediate access to Gaza for civil defence
Meanwhile, in Ramallah, the Palestinian Government calls for the immediate and unhindered entry into the Gaza Strip of Palestinian and international civil defence and rescue teams to rescue injured Palestinians and those trapped beneath the roubble of a residential building that had previously been struck by the Israeli forces and subsequently collapsed on civilians.
The building was home to 10 families. Twenty Palestinians have been confirmed killed and 14 injured, while dozens remain unaccounted for, most of them women and children.
The Palestinian Government extends its deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the Palestinian people. It urgently calls on the international community to exert effective and immediate pressure to facilitate the entry of civil defence and rescue teams, together with the heavy machinery and specialized equipment needed to remove the rubble, recover the bodies of those killed, and rescue injured Palestinians and those who remain trapped beneath the ruins.
The Palestinian Government stresses that every moment of delay costs more lives and places those trapped beneath the rubble at further risk, underscoring the urgent need to ensure immediate access for rescue operations.
Israeli forces begin demolishing pastoral community near Deir Ballut
Israeli forces began demolishing, on Wednesday morning, a pastoral community in the western area of Deir Ballut town, west of Salfit.
Local sources told WAFA that Israeli forces raided the area and began demolishing the community, which has been home to more than 20 Palestinians for over 20 years.
The sources added that residents of the community own around 1,000 sheep, putting the livelihoods of the families living there at risk amid fears of their complete displacement and the depopulation of the area.
The demolition comes amid continued land leveling and the seizure of large areas of land belonging to Deir Ballut.
